ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the 2006 Drug War, as a critical incident, generated a major shift in the journalism practices in Mexico. It presents the results of in-depth interviews with 25 journalists and editors that illuminate how this critical incident has impacted newsrooms. Newsroom staff facing the wave of violence embraced new actions that have impacted their journalism norms and practices. As a response to this violence, Mexican newsrooms resorted to different strategies: not identifying journalists by name, self-censorship, anonymity, and even relocation. Despite doubts, the link between international advocates and Mexican journalists’ professional organizations helped to increase the pressure on Mexico’s governmental response to reduce violence against journalists. The fact that Mexican journalists doing their job became targets of both organized crime and corrupt governmental officials made the Drug War a critical incident with widespread implications for their journalism practices.
